Oklahoma kicks off its 2018 season against the Georgia Gym Dogs, in Athens for a Monday matinee. Coming off of a 2017 national championship win this past year, Oklahoma is gearing up to defend its title and make it three in a row. Maggie Nichols, delivered seven perfect 10.0s as a freshman last season, and will be looking to top that perfection in 2018.
The Georgia Gym Dogs are facing a rebuilding year and lack of depth as this season begins. They faced adversity for the first meet of the season at Alabama, losing senior GiGi Marino to injury during her floor routine. Marino was a contributor vault as well and will be missed in the top six if this injury keeps her out. Injuries during preseason leave the Gym Dogs lacking depth, as we noticed in their bar line up in Tuscaloosa. Georgia only put up five girls, meaning all five scores counted and leaving no room for error. However, Sabrina Vega, Rachel Dickson and Sydney Snead will be gymnasts to watch as they will contribute greatly to the team this season.
Be sure to follow @ncaagymnews on Instagram for updates on our story and keep refreshing here for live updates on each routine throughout the night!
1:30 Final warm ups have concluded. The band looks ready and fans are making their way down. Intro’s should begin soon!
1:38 Fun opening dance routine to Bruno Mars from one of the Georgia Club Gymnastics teams! I love it! Saw some fun college dance moves in there. Future NCAA gymnasts..?
1:51 Oklahoma Sooners are marching out!!!
1:53: Intros have begun for Georgia Gymdogs. Lights out in here with flashes. Intense music. These intros are pretty cool! The crowd is loving it!!!
1:55 Gymdogs marching out in really cool light up white vests in the dark! Never seen this before!! woah! Gymnasts are coming in from all different sides of the stands through fans. This is new! Love it!
1:58 30 sec time warm ups begin!
1:59 I notice Oklahoma Leo choice tonight is all red bodice with sparkly white sleeves. These leos are glittering everywhere in Stegeman! Georgia is in all black bodice with sparkles throughout the piece and a big Sparkly “G” on the back. So much sparkle tonight, both look amazing!!
Rotation 1: Georgia Vault; Oklahoma Bars
Vega (Ga): Huge opening Yurchenko full. Small hop back on landing. very clean. Good start for Georgia! 9.75
Jackson (Oklahoma): Hop to pike jager to bail to low bar. Full out dismount with small hop backwards no stick. Very clean! 9.85
Oakley (Ga): Yurchenko full with small hop back again. Clean but not a ton of height. 9.8
Webb (Oklahoma): Pak to low bar. pike shaposh half to high bar. Double front dismount. small step backwards. 9.85
Dickson (Ga): Huge Yurchenko full wow! Love the height on it. Super clean and tiny hop back. 9.825
Catour (Oklahoma): Sloppy first handstand almost lost it. Tkatchev. Bail to low bar. Double lay stick!! 9.85
Johnson (Ga): Yurchenko full. small hop back. Very clean and major height on that wow!! 9.825
Dowell (Oklahoma):Toe Tkatchev to toe hand to bail to low bar. Double lay STICK! no question there. Nailed that. 9.9
Snead (Ga): Big Yurchenko full. Small hop back. would love to see that stick for Georgia. The vaults are there just need some landing work! 9.85
Lehrmann (Oklahoma.): Blind to jager straddle to toe on to bail to low bar. Full out tucked to stick. Love those landing dropping right in to the ground. 9.9
Nichols (Oklahoma): Jump to high. Toe on hindorff huge! Pak salto to low bar connected to shaposh half to high bar stuck dismount!!!! 9.925
Scores after 1 Georgia: 49.050; Oklahoma 49.425
Rotation 2: Oklahoma Vault: Georgia Bars
Showers (Okl): Huge Yurchenko full. Almost got the stick but not quite. Small hop back. 9.875
Johnson (Ga): Clear hip to Gainer. to bail to low. Double layout small step backwards. Great start for Georgia. 9.75
Lehrmann (Okl): Big Yurchenko full to STICK! she drilled that landing right in to the ground. 9.875
Oakley (Ga): Toe shaposh to high to pak salto to low bar to pirouette. Toe on to double tuck connected with a stick!! Super clean. Loved those lines.
Degouveia (Okl): Yurchenko 1 & 1/2 to small hop forward. 10.0 start value. Great addition to Oklahoma line up. 9.825
Vaculik (Ga): Blind full to Gainer to bail to low bar to transition to high bar. Full out dismount small landing step. 9.85
Dowell (Okl): Agressive 1 & 1/2 Yurchenko STICK. She really dropped that one in and theres no question about that stick right there. Amazing. 9.95
Snead (Ga): Clear hip to Tkatchev to bail to low bar. Double lay dismount with tiny feet slide at the end. 9.85
Webb (Okl) Half on to table to front pike with small hop. Great 10.0 start value for Oklahoma. 9.85
Dickson (Ga): Toe on Tkatchev to bail to low bar with transition to high bar. Double lay with small hop back. 9.9
Jackson (Okl): Big Yurchenko 1 & 1/2 with small hop forward. Big height and looks so easy or her wow. 9.9
Scores after 2 Georgia 98.125/ Oklahoma 98.875
Rotation 3 Georgia Beam; Oklahoma Floor
Snead (Ga): 3 series- Back handspring layout connected to back handspring solid. No wobble. Hitch kick to switch to back tuck stick. So calm. Punch front to slight wobble. double twist dismount with slight shuffle back. Awesome lead off spot for Georgia. 9.85
Showers (Okl): Opening pass Double pike to stick. Second pass front full punch front layout very clean. Tourjete ring jump. Last pass Whip half to punch front full. Super clean start for Oklahoma on floor. 9.85
Oakley (Ga): Switch leap wobble missed connection to split jump connected to ring jump solid. Back handspring layout with slight wobble. Hitch kick to front aerial to split jump great connection. Cartwheel gainer off the side to stick. 9.8
Dowell (Okl): Taylor swift themed fx music love it! Opening pass front handspring front double front stick. One and a half punch front lay very clean. Missed last pass. Clean set for Dowell. 9.9
Vaculik (Ga) : Side aerial to beat jump. Back handspring layout solid. Switch to straddle jump little shakey but holds it. Round off one and a half slight hop forward. 9.675
Webb (Okl): Opening pass front handspring front double pass. Love the E pass. Absolutely love her music. Wow. Really drawing the crowd in. Second pass Round off one and a half punch front full wist solid. She’s got great toe point and lines. Beautiful to watch. Last pass front handspring from Rudi twist. Great set! 9.825
Babilis (Ga): Front aerial back layout step out solid. Switch to split jump to back tuck stick. Looking very confident. Front pike toss to beat jump not sure if they’ll give that connection. run punch front full for dismount. Solid routine. Hopefully judges give all connections. 9.9
Degouveia (Okl): Opening pass front double full twist oops… looks like she got lost in the air and fell to ground rolling backwards. Really loving this music, again. second pass Double pike with slight hop slide back. Looking a little rattled. Last pass one and a half punch front layout very clean. 9.1
Dickson (Ga): front aerial to leap jump connection. Very steady and calm. Back handspring layout slight step back. Switch to split jump connected. Back handspring to one and a half stick dismount. Also… really loving Georgia’s Leotards tonight. 9.9
Nichols (Okl): Music is already catching my attention. Oklahoma has done a stellar job with music selection and choreography. Opening pass double tuck. Think she will upgrade this later in season. Second pass front full punch to front step out. Very unique pass. Love it! Last pass double pike. Super clean and should score high. 9.9
Vega (Ga): Michael Jackson music for Vega. Love it. Back handspring layout stick. so confident. She is really owning the beam. Hitch kick to front aerial beat jump stick. Crowd goes WILD for her moonwalk to music. Small hop on dismount. Crowd pleaser! 9.875
Jackson (Okl): Opening pass HUGE full in full out tucked. She didn’t even need to grab her legs. Very impressive. Intense music really engaging the crowd. Such unique choreography. Last pass double pike stuck. Wow. Great rotation for Oklahoma. 9.9
Scores after 3 Georgia 147.450; Oklahoma 148.250
Rotation 4 Georgia Floor; Oklahoma Beam
Catour (Okl): Back handspring layout series solid stick. Switch to straddle quarter jump big wobble. Hitch kick front aerial stick. Pike gainer off the end stick. Very clean besides leap series. Good lead off. 9.825
Arnold (Ga): Fun pop music for Arnold. Opening pass Double pike huge stick the crowd loves it. Second pass double tuck very clean. The crowd is going wild for her dance. Last pass one and a half to punch front layout very clean. The crowd is loving Arnold’s opening set. 9.825
Showers (Okl): Back handspring series solid. Switch leap to full twist jump to back handspring swing down–cool connection very different. Cartwheel gainer dismount stick. Very confident solid set for Showers. 9.9
Babalis (Ga): Whip to double tuck connected a little low landing. Clean two salto pass stuck. Round off double pike for last pass slight shuffle backwards. Solid set for Georgia on floor. 9.75
Jackson (Okl): Fun spin mount to start off. Back handspring. layout series slight wobble. Hitch kick to switch side. lean. Oh no!! falls on pike jump to back layout step out. Looks like she was just a little off to the side. Clean dismount to finish. 9.2
Snead (Ga): Fun Ed Sheeran pop music. Whip to double back handspring to double tuck stick. Front handspring to front rudi to sushanova to stomach. The crowd loves that move!!! Last pass double pike nailed clean! This should score high wow! 9.8
Lehrmann (Okl): Front aerial wobble. Looks like she missed a connection? Hitch kick to switch side. Back handspring layout series stick. Clean stuck dismount off the side. 9.825
Dickson (Ga): Opening pass double pike. The crowd loves the height!!! Second pass one and a half front layout stick. Fun Brittney Spears music mix in her routine. Last pass double tuck super clean! The crowd is going wild for that routine chanting U-G-A!!!! 9.875
Webb (Okl): Back handspring layout series super clean. Hitch kick front aerial with small wobble. She looks very confident and sure of herself. Side aerial back full off end of beam with small hop back. 9.875
Vega (Ga): Anchoring floor and the crowd is ready for it! She has so much personality on floor I love it. Huge opening double pike. One and a half punch front lay out stick. Her teammates are very into her routine. Vega has a lot of a sass to the routine, super fun to watch. Huge double tuck to finish. The crowd loves their Gymdogs!!!! 9.9 (I wanted to see a 10.0… and I think the UGA crowd did too)
Nichols (Okl): Front aerial beat jump to ring jump wobble to side. Back handspring layout series little balance check. Switch to split jump solid. Round off One and a half stick. Her feet were not going to move!! She’s usually a bit more solid. Good set to finish off the meet. 9.875
Final Scores Georgia 196.60 ; Oklahoma 197.550
There were a lot of beginning of the season jitters I saw tonight from both teams. However, for Georgia facing adversity with injuries and lack of depth I sure think they looked a lot more confident tonight that last weeks meet. I saw them really build on each set and I think being home with the UGA crowd behind them helped bring out that extra confidence. As the season goes on I think they will dial in more with those sticks, especially on vault and bars. Oklahoma did a good job nailing some of those sticks on events, but I did notice some uncharacteristic mistakes on floor and beam towards the end that were unnecessary. As these teams start to fine tune these mental mistakes I think we will begin to see some great potential unleashed. The season is still young and I would like to see these teams dial in on the details a bit more as we move along into next week.
Titles:
*There were no event titles or awards at the end of the meet tonight.
Live blog by Megan Jimenez
Megs! Geat job on this liveblog you nailed it Excited to read future meets:)